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Married pastor, 52, is accused of sexually battering a 17-year-old girl he said was ‘possessed by a demon’

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

By Paul Martin

Pastor Gerardo Martinez has been charged with two felony counts of sexual battery
Accused of repeatedly engaging in sex acts with the young parishioner in his car, at Miracle Christian Church in Florida and at the girl’s home
Martinez allegedly told the teen she had ‘multiple personalities’ and that one of them was possessed by a demon
Martinez and his wife of 20 years have two sons and a daughter together
Martinez served time in prison on a drug conviction in his late 20s

A married Florida pastor has been charged with having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old female parishioner he claimed was ‘possessed by a demon.’

Gerardo Martinez, 52, was arrested on Friday evening and booked on two felony counts of sexual battery.

According to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, the victim joined Martinez’s Miracle Christian Church in New Port Richey last April.

Detectives say Martinez told the teenage parishioner she had ‘multiple personalities’ and that one of them was possessed.

‘In doing so the defendant gained the trust of the victim’s parents’ so that they would allow her to travel with the pastor and visit her at home when she was by herself, according to an arrest report.

According to authorities, the pastor and the girl had multiple sexual encounters from April to October in Martinez’s vehicle, at the church and at the victim’s home.

The sheriff’s office began investigating Martinez in December 2018 when the teen contacted the authorities accusing the cleric of sexual misconduct, reported Tampa Bay Times.